December 16, 2000

December 16, 2000

This morning we arrived in Bora Bora. Bora Bora is the most distant Tahitian island and would normally have been our last port of call. But apparently there is a Typhoon headed our way so the captain is reversing our itinerary. A Typhoon is the Pacific version of our Hurricane. It is cloudy and overcast when we awake.

Author James Michener described Bora Bora as "the most beautiful island in the world" but the poor weather is not allowing the beauty to shine through. Bora Bora is a very old volcanic island that has eroded significantly. As a result the coral reef that ringed the island is now far from shore leaving a shallow lagoon and a string of small sandy reef islets (Motu in Polynesian) circling the main island. The shallowness is what gives the water such a pretty teal-blue color. The island center has eroded to a very steep green cone. Bora Bora is so beautiful and exotic it inspired the mythical Bali Hai in the movie “South Pacific”.

We arranged a scuba diving trip on this island through the cruise ship with Bora Diving Center. We join a group of French tourists on a very tiny boat and head outside the reef for a shark dive. Once past the protected lagoon, the open sea is rough and bounces us around. I am worried because I have a weak stomach. I put on my gear and jump in the water to get out of the heaving boat. Aimee is nervous about the sharks. She has a ‘last minute’ loss of courage when she sees the Dive Master stick a large fish head in his vest. He convinces Aimee that she can’t stay on the bouncing boat.

After I descend, I feel myself getting sick and I chum for the sharks (through the regulator). I have done it before so I am not worried about drowning. The sharks must be trained because as soon as our group reaches the bottom a half dozen large sharks circle us. They are mostly Black-Tip reef sharks but there is one more dangerous Lemon Shark. They are so close you can touch them. I don’t. I don’t want anything biting me and accidentally setting off a feeding frenzy with my blood. After we get settled in a group, the Dive Master pulls the fish head out and the sharks pounce on it. This was a pretty cool experience. Though Aimee and I think this probably wasn’t the smartest thing we have done so far from civilization.